Impersonating A Police Officer Always Wrong?

[Tannedbaldhead]

Was surveying a derelict block of flats this week, was on the way out and about to lock the Sitex doors when I heard people moving inside. Some bugger had sneaked into lower flats while I was upstairs and had left the doors open. This was a problem. I couldn't just lock up and leave especially if it was kids inside and if I went in looking for who was inside and it was junkies a worse case scenario could be a stabbed Tanned Baldhead in the company accident book.

The solution to the problem was clever (in that it worked) but illegal. I roared into the dark depths of the metal shuttered block "POLICE SCOTLAND, COME OUT NOW!!!".
A rustle and then silence. "If you don't show yourselves NOW I'll call in a dog handler. If you don't want bit get yourselves out now".
Silence. "You're being daft the dugs will fking eat yous if you don't show yourself"

Three very scared looking teenage boys appeared. I was wearing a grey suit with a HI VIS over it. I asked them what they were doing in the building. ("just mucking about"), why they weren't at school ("don't know") took their names and addresses (didn't write it down) and told them if they were seen bunking off school or entering the flats again we'd be seeing their parents and the school.

Highly illegal, but it solved the problem quickly and simply and that's what life's about. Any plod (or civilian for that matter) going to tell me I'm bad and wrong.

Edited by Tannedbaldhead on Monday 1st September 07:48

[Tannedbaldhead]

V8 Fettler said:

You're clearly incompetent for allowing the situation to arise in the first place.

True to an extent. I should have perhaps locked myself in the block but feel very uncomfortable doing so. I could have addressed that problem by saying entering the flats as a lone worker wasn't safe but my nearest colleague was 30 miles away turning a ten minute one man job into an hour plus two man job. It was one of those horrible situations where all along the line from the first phone call from the office asking "was near the flats and could a pop in and see if" every decision I made would have been the wrong decision and at every point thereafter had anything gone wrong it was P45 time.

I could have/should have done it by the book but then in the current economic climate the sort of guy who wont go up a ladder and survey a roof void because his method statement cannot resolve "three points of contact must be kept on the ladder at all times" with "loft hatches must always be opened with two hands" is the sort of guy who'll find himself managed out of the business.

Edited by Tannedbaldhead on Monday 1st September 08:49

[Tannedbaldhead]

Tiggsy said:

seriously? you told some kids you were police and you want to know if you are in trouble????

god help you at xmas when you impersonate santa!

I'm not in trouble. If plod traced me and knocked on my door I made all this up merely to entertain the forum and make me look big and clever (wonder if I'm the first person who's ever done this). If a certain group of teenage truants guilty of trespass don't come forward as witnesses then the incident never happened.

I was more interested in the BiB view. Common sense and it served a purpose? or sorry mate, you broke the law and the rules are the rules and we don't approve.

[Tannedbaldhead]

Rovinghawk said:

Tannedbaldhead said:

I was more interested in the BiB view. Common sense and it served a purpose? or sorry mate, you broke the law and the rules are the rules and we don't approve.

"It's a civil matter"?

You'll need to elaborate on that one.